Month: March 2022

Shofar Mission Update

March 25, 2022 Shofar Missions Cebu

Greetings from the USA! Find out what we have been up to in the Philippines… and America!

Since our last post, it has been a mad dash to the finish line before departing the Philippines for the first time since 2019. We welcomed Pastor Tim and Sharon in Cebu, then a few days later, passed the baton and hopped on an airplane (ok, a few airplanes) to the USA. We were thankful to spend some time with Dodson’s before we left. They filled us in on many of the changes we’d face upon our reentry, and we caught them up on some of the changes in Cebu.

Travel went better than expected. We were prepared for the worst, but God helped us navigate the airports and all the COVID-related travel requirements. Last Friday night, we joined the Kindred and One Life groups for a junk food buffet and game night at the Blind Munchies. It was a great opportunity to catch up with people and participate in some friendly competition. We also joined Saturday morning’s Coffee Talk in the coffeehouse, which is something we’ve both heard much about and are thankful we got to be a part of one.

Laura has been volunteering in the coffeehouse and taught a science lesson to the homeschool group. Brittany will be joining Street Level for a couple meetings and playing piano during worship. We’re excited to spend time with Believers Church Duluth this weekend, then Campus Church in River Falls in April. Thanks for welcoming us back with open arms… there’s nothing that can compare to fellowship with the body of Christ. Whoever said absence makes the heart grow fonder has obviously never been separated from the family of believers in a local church…

Philippines Ministry Continues

The work of the Kingdom never takes a hiatus… thanks to technology, Laura has been able to schedule pre-recorded lessons that premiere online during regular class times for students in Cebu. She has also been in communication with the staff of the schools she works with. Britt has been keeping in touch with the Street Level students and joined last week’s meeting via Google Meet. Tim and Sharon have been continuing the ministry, rebuilding relationships with churches, and forming new contacts. God is good. We’re thankful that we get to continue to be a part of the action – even from the other side of the world.

Please be in prayer for Dodsons as they seek to finish strong on their trip. Please also pray for the ministry that is continuing there while we are away. Just goes to show God doesn’t need us… but we are the richer for being used by Him.

Children’s Ministry: Spring Update

March 22, 2022 The Children's Ministry

Happy Spring! Here is a little peek into what we’ve been up to in the Children’s Ministry over the past few months.

Reaching Out

In February, we made Valentines cards for some of the residents at Our House Senior Living Facility in Menomonie. They had a special mailbox set up outside where they invited anyone from the community to drop off Valentine’s mail. The Foundations kids took the challenge and made cards filled with personal notes, Bible verses, and reminders that God loves them. We also got to pray for all of the residents as a class, and many of the kids continued to pray for them outside of class as well.

Happenings at Home

Foundations class continues to meet every other Sunday during the church service for children in kindergarten through 4^th grade. Recently we have been learning lessons from the life of David. We’ve seen how God looks at the heart rather than the outward appearance, and how God uses regular people who trust in Him to accomplish His plans. We also learned that God is faithful to forgive our sins when we honestly repent, just as He did with David. These lessons help us to know God’s character better so we can recognize His hand in our daily lives.

Prayer

One of the most important things we can do for the kids in our church is to pray for them. If you would like to join in praying for the Children’s Ministry, here are a few requests:

That the kids would continue to grow in their understanding of who God is and how He has worked throughout history so they can recognize His involvement in their lives today.
For good soil in the hearts of the children, and that the seeds being planted would sprout, take root and produce a crop in God’s timing.

River Falls Ministry March News

March 19, 2022 River Falls Ministry

As the seasons change, Believers Church in River Falls continues to serve and reach out to the community in a variety of ways. Boy does time fly by quickly!

Word on the Street

At the end of February, Word on the Street (WOTS) held an introductory night for interested students. As a collaboration, the team from Menomonie came to visit and fellowship with us. We shared the vision for WOTS, did some writing exercises, and ate a meal together. This was a great chance for students to hear about opportunities to serve.

Believers Campus Church

Believers Campus Church continues to meet, moving verse-by-verse through the book of John. Campus church has been a blessing to be a part of this past school year. We continue to meet new students, worship together, and get a chance to fellowship before and after service.

For the first time this year, we had a guest speaker at the Campus Church in River Falls. Pastor Ben, from Menomonie, was here for a Wednesday night service. He explained the gardening that needs to take place in our lives according to John 15.

Some of our friends from Menomonie came over for Church.

Pastor Ben is teaching on a Wednesday night at the university.

Street Level Events and Activities

This last month we joined Menomonie, on the Stout campus, to attend a speaking event by Dr. Randy Marshall where he spoke on the brevity of life. It was great for all of us to hear from someone, who has so much experience, talk about the importance of pursuing what God wants us to do with our lives and carrying it out with passion, love, and discipline.

Because we enjoy spending time with each other, Street Level River Falls held a Friday night fellowship event. The bash featured a slew of activities including laughing at each other’s drawings, ganging up on the best Super Smash Brothers players, and eating pizza. It was great to be able to use the coffeehouse space as a place to all come together as friends and hang out.

The Blind Munchies Coffeehouse

As the winter progresses into spring there is an ever-changing group of people who walk into the coffeehouse. The conversations and outreach from this ministry continue onward with the River Falls students and the community. We are often looking for opportunities to bring in new people. One way we did this last month was by featuring a Thursday night drink special, the Caramel Frappe. Even though it is a shameless attempt at playing to people’s sugar addiction, people have been enjoying it.

The Bottom Line

All in all, we are blessed with the community that God has graciously allowed us to be a part of. We are continuing to plan through the remainder of the semester and well into the summer. We cannot overemphasize the importance of prayer, the need for continual diligence, and faithful reliance on the working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of ourselves as well as those who are showing up each week.

Prayer Requests

Contiue prayer for church on the River Falls campus and growth in maturity.
Pray for the transition from the winter into the spring that students wouldn’t get distracted and would desire to pursue their relationship with God.
Pray for continued outreach efforts through the coffeehouse, Word on the Street, and the radio.

For Further Information

Duluth Update

March 13, 2022 Believers Church Duluth

Brethren, I’m happy to report that this past month has been an encouraging effort when it comes to the mission of God. We’re pushing the offense, gaining momentum, and making ourselves a prime target for spiritual attack. It’s quite exciting.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

First, we finished our second round of membership class (a year in the making) and welcomed a handful of candidates to the official roster. Since that class is complete, we can offer another round of Believers Class later this Spring. In Discipleship Class, we’ve been discussing what it means to disciple others and be disciples ourselves beyond a mere intellectual approach. A real disciple sleeps with one eye open, so to speak, and does the hard work of prayer and preparation so that when God’s call comes there is little to no hesitation.

NEW MINISTRY

Also, we started Believers Campus Church at UMD on Wednesday nights! Despite the numerous other Christian organizations, the campus is so large we believe there is still room for us to minister. We paired the Wednesday services with tabling to spread the word. Some students just wanted coffee, but some genuinely showed interest in our format and our topic. In the weeks we have left of the Spring semester, we are going through the book of Exodus start to finish.

God has certainly blessed us with student interest at UMD and renewed energy for campus ministry. Though we are at UMD, we are not letting go of Street Level at UW-Superior. Monday night studies are still happening, and the crew is trying new things like English language help for international students. Please keep both campuses in prayer as we seek God’s direction for the fall.

NEW ADVENTURES

Furthermore, there’s nothing that induces warfare more than missions. We are sending out a large crew for the Street Level trip all the while applications are getting turned in for more domestic trips. Locally, we are planning where we can utilize the coffee trailer in the months to come to raise money for well-drilling. Prayer would be appreciated for the hearts and minds of everyone involved—that we remain laser-focused on Jesus and pleasing Him through it all.

Getting out in the community and beyond would be a weak effort if it wasn’t for what we’re learning. We finished the book of Romans on Sundays and are taking some time to dissect the Gospel. This is paired with watching the film American Gospel on Wednesdays. We’ve been challenged to consider if we really know and really believe the Gospel for ourselves. Unfortunately, we are more susceptible to the prosperity gospel, the American dream, and plain ‘ol morality than we realize. In a few Sundays we’ll be back in the New Testament and will start the book of Matthew.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Finally, we like hanging out with each other so we gathered for a Super Bowl party one Sunday, and on another occasion we all went ice skating at Bayfront Park. It’s these small, but consistent, opportunities that do much to reinforce our unity.

Keep fighting, keep striving, and we’ll do the same.

-Kelsey

OUR SUBTERRANEAN CLASSROOM

March 10, 2022 Pastor Justin Thomson - Duluth

Not to promote undue concern, but it’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life. The odds are slim, I know, but it’s still conceivable. It occurs every year, all over the world, and survival is no guarantee. Accidents like these are real, both in the physical sense, as well as the spiritual. And although I hope it never happens to you, it’s always best to be prepared.

WHERE IT STARTS

Anyone who’s taken a tumble of this kind will attest, the real surprise comes not in the falling, but with the landing. The actual descent happens fast, so it’ll be over before you even realize it. But the pain you feel once you’ve stopped makes the landing almost impossible to forget. The bottom of a cistern is no vacation destination, as you will quickly discover.

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Assuming you survive the initial fall, you’ll need to come to terms with where you are, and how you got there. You may not realize that you’re in a well at first, and disorientation is probable, so you’ll need to look for clues as to your whereabouts. Darkness and terror are helpful here, because when found together, they serve as a strong indication that you are indeed stuck in a pit.

If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day

Now, the first principle of finding your way out of a deep, dark hole, is to look up. Whether you find yourself in a physical well, or a spiritual depression, up is your only way out, and out is where you need to go. So direct your attention heavenward.

(And then brace yourself for what you’re about to see).

ADJUST YOUR EYES

Rather than the compassionate gaze from those above, you’re probably going to notice what appears to be indifference. Standing at the mouth of the well will be your own colleagues, none of whom seem to have noticed your plight. They will appear to be so unaffected by your trauma, you may find yourself wondering if, maybe, it was they who pushed you down, and that perhaps your trouble is their fault. You may even feel a tinge of relief for having fallen out of fellowship with them.

Author Alan Redpath writes, “I might suggest, perhaps with more truth than some of us would like to admit, that a persecuted Christian sometimes gets better treatment from the enemies of God’s people than from his Christian friends. Was it not the king of Judah who imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon who let him loose? We glory in our wonderful gospel of love and mercy for the unsaved, but we usually act as if we have no gospel for the saint who has been tripped up by the devil!“

But be careful here. If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day.

It’s a fatal mistake to think you can escape that hole by securing sympathy for yourself. Don’t even bother trying. Emotions are like quicksand. The harder you work to gain a foothold thereby, the more likely it is that you’ll drown in disappointment. Nobody’s ever been rescued by pity, and you don’t need help sinking any further than you already have. Look up, yes, but don’t expect to find comfort (Psalm 69:20).

CHECK YOUR VIEWPOINT

The angle you have on life from the bottom of a well is entirely skewed. The truth is, your companions aren’t the reason you fell in the well…you are. And yet, by divine providence, they will prove to be the very help you need to get out of it. Your friendship with those in God’s family is the only rope long enough to reach you where you’re at. If you ever hope to get back to the surface after a fall like yours, resist all temptation to cut the cord.

Coming back to solid ground will restore your perspective. The difference in cleanliness between yourself and your allies will become readily apparent. You’ll see at once that it wasn’t your friends who were defiled, it was you all along. Get ready to be disgusted with yourself.

But they’ll understand. They’ve probably fallen into a similar hole themselves. They’ll help you wash off, tidy up, and move on, and the whole terrible episode will become a thing of the past.

Just try not to forget what happened, ok? Some lessons can only be learned in a subterranean classroom, and you don’t want to repeat a course like that if you don’t have to.

WALK WITH CARE

It’s always best to step with caution as we sojourn through this life. Yet don’t be surprised when God peels back a layer of grace that long concealed the depth of your own sin. And don’t be shocked when you find yourself plummeting into a deep, dark well of despair because of it.

It’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life

Falling down is easier than you think. If and when that happens, you’ll be glad you took the time to read up on it beforehand. “Pay careful attention to how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15) … “If you think you’re standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

God bless.

Genuine Repentance

March 1, 2022 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

To be a Christian, one requirement is that we must repent (turn away) from sin. The need for people to repent is the first thing John the Baptist publically preached (Matt. 3:1-2). It is also the first thing Jesus publically preached (Matt. 4:17). Obviously, repentance is some sort of gate that everyone must pass through to become a Christian. And to repent (Greek: metanoeo) implies not just a behavioral change (i.e., what we say, what we do), but also a change of one’s mind (i.e., how we think).

I’m guessing most reading this (all 3 of you), already know the importance of repentance. It’s something we have to do regularly as Christians. I had to already make confession and repent this morning… to my wife and to God… and it’s still early. The question I am challenged with, and now challenge you with, is not the importance of our repentance, but the genuineness of our repentance.

Insincere Repentance

Reading the account of Moses before Pharoah in Exodus, we see several instances where Pharoah changed his mind and was willing to let Israel go to worship and serve God (Ex. 8:8, 25, 28; Ex. 9:27-28, Ex. 10:17-18). However, within hours or days, Pharoah again hardened his heart and reverted to his old ways (Ex. 8:15, 32; Ex. 9:34-35, Ex. 10:20). He had insincere repentance.

It’s easy to criticize Pharaoh as a villain in the Old Testament. But I wonder how many of us have done the same thing? Consider all the areas we are prone to sin… In our putting someone or something before God (i.e., idolatry), in our bitterness toward a believer or unbeliever, or in our lust or desire for someone or something. Perhaps we have recently repented in one of these areas. But did our repentance end up looking like Pharaoh’s? Did we turn back to our sin? Ultimately, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he perished for not truly repenting. What about us? Could we be awaiting the same fate?

Keeping with Repentance

I came across this in my reading this morning…

Many times people will confess that they have sinned without being truly repentant, especially when they experience difficulty, affliction, sickness, and hardship (c.f. Matt. 13:20–21). The test of genuine repentance is those fruits produced by the Spirit in our lives: godly sorrow leading to mortification of sin and increasing holiness of life (Luke 3:8; Rom. 8:12–13; 2 Cor. 7:9–10; Col. 3:1–17)
Gospel Transformation Study Bible

This caused me to pause. Is my repentance akin to the seed sown on the rocky soil? Whereas as soon as the next trial arises, my repentance is rescinded? Is my repentance just a cover for my sorrow… ultimately spiraling into a spiritual death? Or is my repentance genuine… freeing me from that sin, not to be undone a few hours or days later? To sum it up… is my life bearing the fruit, in keeping with repentance?

These are honest questions we need to ask ourselves.

The Holy Spirit

Pharaoh was sorry, because of the difficulties he experienced. But Pharoah was never totally surrendered to God. He didn’t really want to surrender to God’s will. He just wanted to have a sense of present ease. He wanted the bullets (i.e., flies, gnats) to stop flying around his head. He wanted calm. What about us? Are we just seeking present ease, calm from a difficult situation? Or do we really want to totally surrender to God’s will?

Perhaps the reason we struggle so much, and experience so little lasting peace, is because we aren’t fully surrendered to God’s will. If we were, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit produce the present and future fruit of repentance in our lives? Maybe we are so focused on the act of repentance, that we have overlooked our surrender to God’s will… Perhaps we are so focused on repenting… that we have neglected the source, the vine, that produces the fruit of repentance.

Remember, it is not us who has the power to keep us. That’s God’s work (Ps. 127:1). Ours is to surrender. Are we surrendered to Him? If we are, we will bear the fruit of genuine repentance.